The present invention relates generally to network communication and, more particularly to gathering and identifying session startup/teardown information and network router state information that may be used for Internet Service Provider (ISP) billing purposes.
In order for an Internet Service Provider (ISP) to be able to charge different rates for different levels of service (i.e., sessions that request special quality of service (QoS) or multicast. service), it is necessary for the ISP to be able to collect and store information relative to user sessions. Currently, routers are not generally being designed with Management Information Bases (MIBs) that allow the ISP to monitor the state of the routers contained in a network because of the additional effort and computing resources that would be required. An MIB stores information associated with a network/internet management data.
In conventional networks, Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) messaging has been used to access information from certain network elements relative to the performance of the network. SNMP relates to the management aspects of the network such as fault, security, and accounting management. SNMP messages are used to access information stored in a MIB, but without an MIB. Routers do not contain a MIB, however, and therefore routers cannot store state information. For this reason, SNMP messaging cannot be used to monitor the state data of an ISP router/network.
Therefore, a need exists for a system that gathers and logs network event information using SNMP messaging. The solution should enable routers within the system to return state information so that ISPs can better track and monitor the types of services its users request.
Systems and methods consistent with the present invention provide a QoS server that stores and monitors user sessions with SNMP messages. In addition, the QoS server gathers event startup/teardown information and network router state information, and stores this information in a format that can then be easily accessed by an ISP QoS module using SNMP messaging tools.
Systems and methods consistent with the present invention provide a system for monitoring a communication session between an originating router and a destination router. The system includes: means for periodically transmitting a state query message to the originating router, the state query message including a request for internal router information data; means for receiving, at a node server coupled to the originating router, state information data from the originating router in response to the state query message; means for storing the state information data as an object; means for monitoring the object to detect a change in the state information data; and means for logging a session event when the monitoring means detects the change in the state information data.
A server system, consistent with the present invention, includes means for receiving a session request for establishing a communication path to transmit information, means for sending a message to an originating router in the communication path in response to the request, the message including a request to reserve resources for transmitting the information, and means for monitoring the originating router to determine whether all of the routers along the transmission path have sufficient resources to establish the communication path in accordance with the session request.
Both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description provide examples and explanations only. They do not restrict the claimed invention.